Secure containers are typically used to transport items from a sender to a recipient. Typically, secure containers include a mechanical locking mechanism to securely seal the container against theft or tampering. Electronic locking or sealing mechanisms provide an additional level of security. Some electronic locking mechanisms provide a memory for recording time values when the locking mechanism changes states, i.e., is locked or unlocked. By examining these time values, a recipient can confirm whether the container was opened between the time the sender locked the container and the time the recipient opened the container.
The use of reusable containers for delivery of items provides for multiple uses of the same container for multiple deliveries, thereby reducing waste and pollution associated with the manufacture of single use containers such as envelopes. A multi-use envelope typically includes a table on which a sender can write a recipient's name. Once the recipient receives the multi-use envelope, they can cross out their name and use the next line in the table for the next recipient. While reducing the waste of single-use envelopes, multi-use envelopes do not provide confidentiality to the sender or the recipient. Breakable seals may be used to secure a multi-use envelope. The disadvantage of this system is that the seals can only be used once. Security and confidentiality problems also occur with sealed single-use envelopes. Someone may intercept the sealed envelope, open the envelope to view the contents, and use an identical envelope to the original, sealing the identical envelope and addressing it similarly to the original envelope for delivery to the recipient.
It is not practical to use an electronic locking mechanism for a reusable container such as an envelope. Existing electronic locking mechanism use wires or locks that complicate the locking process, are large and bulky, and are typically expensive, destroying any advantages of using a reusable container. Additionally, commonly used containers such as cardboard boxes, zipped containers, bottles, medication containers, and other similarly sized and shaped containers are not easily used with a typical electronic locking mechanism. Many containers, such as medication containers, use a breakable seal such as a paper or plastic seal to indicate the container has been inspected and sealed by the manufacturer. However, the breakable seals are easily duplicated and the containers may be tampered with during transportation, unbeknownst to the recipient. Additionally, unless replaced each time the container is opened, a breakable seal only provides an indication that a container has been opened, it does not provide an indication of how many times the container has been opened (e.g., has the container been opened once or ten times).